"As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of the opportunity provided to serve self-interest when Al Gore created the internet; and we should also thank Mark Zuckerburg and Jack Dorsey for creating Facebook and Twitter out of the kindness of their big hearts and not the thinness of their small wallets."

-Ben Franklin, Autobiography (1742)

Monday, February 28, 2011

J. Madison on the Joys of Bachelorhood

"What spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and her sister Tammy from that tavern on Philly Avenue, each leaning on the other for their mutual & surest support?"

James Madison, letter to W.T. Barry, August 4, 1822

Many believe the early days of our nation, and subsequently our founding fathers themselves to be characterized as nothing other than stogy old men gravely discussing the issues of the day. This is not surprising, given that there exists such a plethora of misinformation about the colonial era. However, the actual 1700's embodied a world far removed from what we see in most history books. As we here at Lost and Founders strive to point out each day, though the men and women who founded our great nation may have dealt with some weightier issues than the average men and women of today, they were still very human.

The above quote was taken from a letter sent by James Madison to fraternity buddy W.T Barry, as part of a long-time debate between the two gentlemen on which of the city's many late-night establishments provided the best entertainment after a long day of political discourse. This excerpt, though admittedly somewhat crass, was of particular interest when discovered as it is an exemplary reminder that in the end dead presidents were once just like you and me.

It is our continued hope as we continue to unravel the true history-behind-the-history that quotes like above will allow our readers to increasingly identify with the teachings of the Founders and find new levels of application in their own daily lives. History does indeed repeat itself and as we see each day the advice from bygone days is still just as relevant today. Still not convinced? Check out the Foxhead Tavern on Philly Avenue after 11pm on a Friday.